The World Bank's comparative advantage lies in its capacity to put avian flu and pandemic preparedness on the development agenda: raising awareness and mobilizing finances, building capacity, sharing knowledge, and bringing together health officials, animal disease experts, and ministry officials from different countries.

Addressing avian flu will require a long-term effort, a high degree of coordination, and a global strategy. Actions now to control HPAI infections at source and prepare for a pandemic can significantly reduce the projected catastrophic costs of a pandemic.

The Bank is playing a convening role and has worked closely with affected countries, the UN System Coordinator David Nabarro, and the international technical agencies-the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)-whose global strategies inform the international response. While the international technical agencies are positioned to help address scientific and technical issues, the Bank has ongoing health and rural development programs in most developing countries, which can help bring together and coordinate national agencies and international experts.

At a meeting in November 2005 in Geneva, partners in the international response have:

confirmed the centrality of an integrated approach-one that addresses the existing threat of HPAI in animals while preparing for, and acting to limit the impact of, a pandemic, and that draws on protocols developed by the FAO, OIE, and WHO;

characterized the cost and type of investments required at each phase of the disease;

provided the first rough estimates of the potential resources needed to address HPAI; and explored options for an international financing framework and coordination mechanisms to support a coherent response at the country, regional, and global levels.

Subsequently, in January 2006, the Bank, the European Commission, and the Chinese Government cosponsored a pledging conference in Beijing, to elicit support for the priority activities identified at the meeting in Geneva, building on a flexible funding framework agreed by donors. Pledges amounted to almost $1.9 billion, including about $900 million in grants, over three years. The Bank's contribution comprises $500 million in IBRD and IDA financing, as well as financing channeled to developing countries through Bank-administered trust funds, including through a newly established $75 million multidonor Avian and Human Influenza Facility, to which the European Commission is the largest donor.

To make sure that pledges are translated into results in developing countries that need help to effectively address the avian flu threat, the Bank is already working in more than 30 countries, providing advice on preparation of projects for financing under its $500 million program. By the end of fiscal 2006, $147.4 million has been approved for fully-developed programs in eleven countries (Albania - $5m, Armenia - $6.3m, Azerbaijan - $5.1m, Georgia - $7m, Kyrgyz - $4m, Lao PDR - $4m, Moldova - $8m, Nigeria - $50m, Tajikistan - $5m, Turkey - $34.4m, Vietnam - $18.6m) and preparations of projects were underway in more than twenty other countries, which could result in World Bank commitments reaching about $250 million by end-December 2006. The World Bank is acting under its policy framework for emergency operations, facilitating quick processing.